Bad Science 8:  The New Life
by SimonSeville27
Summary: Part 8 to Bad Science.  While Theodore's life is on the line, moral and physical barricades keep Simon and Jeanette from being able to save him.  Will Simon use the time machine when yet another family member passes?  How will Alvin live with his guilt?
1. The Loss of a Lover

**Bad Science 8: The New Life**

A/N: Okay, I'm sorry that this was a little late. (Okay so it wasn't really that long of a wait, but it was long for me…) Well this is book eight of the Bad Science series. This is also the conclusion to a three part arch, so definitely don't try and read this without reading the earlier books (particularly 6 and 7).

I normally try and keep my author's notes to information about the book, but there is something I wanted to say that's more about AATC in general. But please read this anyway. I'm really bothered by the fact that the AATC community has grown so far apart. Particularly on this site, where people don't even talk to each other. They just post stories and go on with their day. There used to be a forum called the Seville Library where there were huge discussions on fanfiction and dozens of active users, but by the time I came into fanfiction, that site was dead. I really think we need a place we can talk about fanfiction. And I would like to see a return of things like the fanfiction contests that were done on that site, so I have created a forum called "AATC Archive" (It's on this website under the forums). My goal is to turn this forum into a community for fanfiction readers and writers to discuss AATC. Please join me on this board, and spread the word, so that we can become a community again. (End rant).

A link to the forum can be found in my profile or you can find the board by going to the AATC forums on this site. Now back to the story!

I really hope you enjoy this book. It's a little shorter than some, but it is completely packed with excitement! Please review my story, and please check out my other stories. (I even have an Alvany story up! [It still has Simonette though… I didn't go completely insane.])

**Chapter 1: The Loss of a Lover**

**Jeanette's POV**

**One month after Brian's funeral.**

I sat next to her before I went up to speak. "It's been hard for all of us. I can't help but wish I would have been able to do something."

She started to cry, "I know. I know you wanted to do it, but you couldn't. You know I really did love him."

"I know you did." I put my hand on her knee, "Simon's changed so much since he died."

"You should go be with him now. The two of you are going to speak in a moment, he needs you more than I do right now."

I shook my head, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'm sure."

I walked over to Simon and hugged him, "How are you doing Si?"

He leaned his head on my shoulder and cried, "I couldn't save him. I tried so hard, but I couldn't."

"I know Simon. We both did."

"God I miss him. He was always there for me."

I pulled him away from my shoulder so I could kiss him. Then I leaned my forehead against his and whispered to him. "You know we couldn't do it. We both wanted to, but we couldn't build that machine."

"I wish we would have…"

"No you don't. Not after what it's done to us."

"But what about…"

"There's nothing we can do. He's gone. I know you loved him, but he isn't coming back. Not this time. Now honor his memory. Go up to that podium with me, and tell the world why you loved him."

Alvin and Brittany walked up to us. "Hi guys."

I ran over and hugged Brittany just as Simon hugged Alvin.

Simon smiled at Alvin. "I am so glad you two changed your mind. I'm so glad you came."

"We had to."

Eleanor came up, "Are you guys ready?"

I held her hand, "Yeah Elle. Let's go."

I started to walk with Eleanor and Simon to the podium, and Simon turned around. "Come on you two. We all need to be there together. We're all family."

The five of us approached the podium. Alvin spoke first. "Hello everyone. I wasn't going to come today, because part of me felt responsible for what happened." He turned his head to hide his tears, and then continued. "I miss him so much. We all do. Today, we're here to honor his memory. The five of us would like to tell you exactly what happened before he died. We owe that to you."

Simon interrupted, "It's more than a story of how he died, it's a story of our family. It's a story of how our family came together, to try and save Theodore."

Elle picked up where Simon left off, "I just wish that Theo could tell you this story himself."

Brittany turned to Eleanor, "We all do. But he can't, so we will for him. Our lives are different now that he's gone. But this story is about that to. It's about our new lives."

I approached the microphone, "The story starts a few weeks ago, at the hardest time of my life. It all starts at a day like this. It all started, at my son's funeral."


	2. The Invention and the Lab

**Chapter 2: The Invention and the Lab**

**Jeanette's POV**

**One month earlier.**

_-Italic Text from Book 7-_

_Simon ran from the stage suddenly. I walked towards him. "Simon? What's wrong?"_

_Simon looked at me in tears. "Jean, that isn't the only thing that will save him."_

_I grabbed Simon's hand, "Simon, what are you planning?"_

_Simon looked into my eyes and said, "Jeanette. I haven't stepped into a lab in years. Not since this all started. But we both know that we can do this."_

_I grabbed his shoulder, "Simon, you don't mean?"_

_He interrupted, "I won't lose my brother. Today, I'm hanging up my scrubs. Today I return… to the laboratory."_

"_I don't agree with you, but I will help you."_

_Simon grabbed both sides of my face and smiled at me, "You know as well as I do Jean. I couldn't do this alone. Neither of us can…"_

After the funeral, we went shopping. We had to rebuild our laboratory, if we were going to do this. We went from store to store getting everything we might need. It took every dime we had in savings, but nothing was going to stop us now.

After we had everything we needed, we went back to our home, to rebuild our laboratory. "Simon?"

Simon was busy setting up everything, just like it was in our lab we had when we were children. "What is it Jean?"

"You aren't worried about what might happen, are you?"

"What do you mean? It worked out for us the last time. My child died, you were in a coma, my niece and nephew were murdered along with a few hundred others. Our lab work always turns out great."

I rolled my eyes and walked over to him. "That isn't funny."

"I wasn't trying to be funny. Jean, we have to do this. It's the only way to save him. It won't be like last time, I won't let…"

"You can't promise that Simon."

He stopped building and turned to me, "What do you want me to say? What do you want me to do? I have to do this Jean."

"I know Simon, it's just hard…"

"I know. You don't have to be involved…"

"Yes I do. You know that."

He smiled at me, "So are we going to do it?"

I sat down, "It seems so selfish."

He put his hand around me, "That's because it is. A lot of people could be saved by this machine. We're choosing to use it only to save one person."

"I want to do it, but it seems wrong."

"I think it might be, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let Theo die in a hospital bed."

I shook my head, "Let's get to work."

The days went by, but we weren't making the progress we hoped. Something wasn't right. Maybe it was because we hadn't been in a lab since we were teenagers, but we just weren't getting the work done.

Simon stood up frustrated, "I don't know why it doesn't work."

I went over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Simon, it's been a long time…"

"It's not that. We're missing something."

I sat down, "Simon, we might not be able to…"

"Damn it Jean…" He stopped, "I'm sorry."

It was the first time he ever swore at me. He swore around me, he swore at other people, but he never swore at me before. "Simon, you can't take the world on your shoulders. I know we can do this, but if it doesn't work, you can't blame yourself."

He shook his head and started to cry, "I just can't lose him. He's my brother."

"And you've already lost one brother."

"What does that mean?"

"Don't you think it's about time you talked to Alvin?"

"Jean…"

"I'm serious. You know I'm upset with him, but he's your brother."

"We have a lot of work to do. Let's just try and figure out what isn't working."


	3. The Broken Brother

**Chapter 3: The Broken Brother**

**Alvin's POV**

Life was harder when I got out of the hospital than when I was in the hospital. I had no job anymore, I lost dozens of close friends from work, and I lost my nephew. Plus I had to live with the fact that Theodore might not make it because of me. I spent every day the same way, lying on the couch watching television.

"Alvin?" Brittany walked over to me, "You need to eat."

I stayed silent.

"Alvin, you can't just stay on this couch for the rest of your life. I know it's hard but…"

I turned the television off, "But what? I'm just supposed to move on. I'm supposed to ignore the fact that I killed Simon's son? I'm supposed to ignore the fact that 57 people have died because I didn't want my secretary to take the time to call the police? I'm supposed to ignore the fact that Theo is going to be dead in a few weeks? What the hell do you expect me to do Brittany?"

She walked over to me, "Alvin, you made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes."

"Not everybody's mistakes do this type of damage." I started to walk into the kitchen.

"No, some are worse. All of this started with that time machine. You think Simon and Jeanette don't regret that mistake?"

I turned around, "They couldn't have known what would happen, but I should have seen it."

"I'm not saying you can just forget about it, but you have to accept it…"

"No I don't. I'm to blame for this."

Brittany started to put her arms around me but I pulled away and went into another room. "Britt, what I did is unforgivable. I don't want to be forgiven. Not by anybody, including you. I just wish I would have…"

I felt a slap across the side of my face. "Don't you dare talk like that again!"

I turned around, "You don't even know what I was going to say…"

"Like hell I don't. You were going to say that you wish you wouldn't have lived that explosion. Get one thing straight. You may be mad at yourself for what you did, but you can't make me stop loving you. What you said, it's not fair to me or to…"

"To who?"

"Nobody. Just stop it." Brittany started to cry, "A lot of people love you, I don't want you to do anything stupid."

"I…"

"Alvin, I know you. I know what you're thinking. Just remember that you will move past this."

I started to cry as I walked into the kitchen, "I'm sorry Brittany, I don't think I can move past this. I don't think I'll ever move past this. I love my brother, and now he may never know that. He died trying to save Brian. The last thoughts he probably had before he was shot, was how I was responsible for Brian. That's what I'll be remembered for, the man who caused my nephew and brother's death. This was worse than what Simon did, and I stopped talking to him for years because of that. I don't deserve your love. I don't deserve anybody's love."

"Alvin…"

"Whatever happens, you aren't responsible, I am."


	4. The New Home

**Chapter 4: The New Home**

**Eleanor's POV**

This was my new home. I couldn't leave his side. I spent every moment, of every day in that room, sitting next to Theodore's bed. He was only awake for a few minutes a day, and I wasn't about to miss those minutes. All of the kids were in daycare or school, so I got to stay here until it was time to pick them up. Then all eight of us would sit in Theo's room and have dinner. We'd stay there until visiting hours ended. Then I'd drive the kids home and put them to sleep. What they didn't know is that I always went back to the hospital. Simon arranged that for me.

That was the harder part. I don't know what they were doing, they wouldn't tell me, but Simon and Jeanette spent every moment of every day in their home. I didn't see or hear from them again after Brian's funeral. I had a bad feeling that they were building the machine again, but I didn't know whether I still didn't want them to build it. The thought of losing Theodore was so hard.

When he did wake up, I cherished the time we got to spend together.

"Elle? Are you here?" A faint voice said.

"Of course Theo. I always am."

He slowly opened his eyes, "Any news on the heart?"

"No honey, not yet."

He smiled, "That's okay, I don't want one. I don't want them to find one."

I started to cry, "Why not?"

"I don't want someone else to die for me."

I let a small smile through my tears, "That's my Theo, always thinking of everybody else."

He turned his head, "I'm not saying I wouldn't take it if they found it. I'm just saying…"

"I know. You don't have to explain."

"How are the kids doing?"

"Their doing great, but we all miss you."

His eyes started to close, "Elle, I'm really tired, I'm gonna go to sleep. Is that okay?"

"Of course Theo."

"Are you going to stay here?"

"You know I will."

His eyes opened up for one more brief moment, "Wait, I need you to do something Elle."

"Anything."

"Read it to me."

I hated it when he made me do that. He did it almost every time he woke up. I reached in my pocket and pulled it out. "Are you sure?"

"You know I am Elle."

I started to cry as I began to read:

"_Dear Brittany,_

_As you have probably figured out, this is not a Diary. It is a collection of thoughts I have made for you to read after I pass. I want you to pay special attention to this one. Learn to let go. Just because there is hope, doesn't mean you can cling to it forever. Accept life's challenges. I know this is only a small ways into my book, so you are probably very sad right now. Please don't be. I don't want you to spend your life, wondering if I will walk through the door. You can't live in denial. If someday I come home to you, we will be thankful together, but you can't live life clinging to a fantasy._

_With all my love,_

_Jean"_

He smiled, "Just remember that." He quickly fell asleep.

It seemed odd, but that old letter was something our whole family held onto. Through all the pain we had to deal with, remembering this letter, reminded us that we had to accept the more difficult parts of life. He made me read it out loud, so he knew that I remembered those words. I kissed his forehead before leaving his room. "Goodnight Theo. I'll be here when you wake up."

Every time he fell asleep was hard, because I never knew if I would see him wake up again. That was my life, to live at the hospital, until there was a miracle or until it was too late. All my hope rested in a machine that I thought was pure evil. I didn't know what I wanted anymore. That was the life I was living. A life of conflict and sorrow.


	5. The Failure

**Chapter 5: The Failure**

**Simon's POV**

"It isn't working Jean. It's over." I sat down on a chair. "We can't save him this time."

Jeanette started to cry, "Simon, we can't just…"

"Jean, we've gone through this a hundred times. It should work, but it doesn't. I was wrong, we can't do this."

"But…"

"Think of the bright side Jean, we don't have to worry about what the world will think of us after we used it to save Theodore." I picked up a glass of water and took a drink, "I'm not one to give up, but I can't figure out what's missing."

Jeanette turned to the machine. "Maybe we're just too involved right now. Maybe we need a break, but we can't give up. We've already gone through so much."

I sat and thought for a second, "Maybe we need someone else's help."

"But what scientist is going to drop everything to get involved in this."

I smiled. "I can think of one person crazy enough."

Jeanette started to laugh, "Simon, don't you think we've put him through enough over the years."

"He's a friend. I think it's time for a visit to the hospital. You need to see Elle and I need to have a talk with Dr. Straverski."

I grabbed my coat and we walked towards the door, before we left Jean turned around, "Just remember Simon, he may be a scientist, but he's an infantile specialist. He has no experience in this area. You can't expect him to be able to do this."

"Jean, I know that. I just want a fresh pair of eyes on it. He may notice a problem we didn't."

"And if he doesn't find it?"

"Then we'll have to say goodbye to my brother."

We went in the car and drove to the hospital.

I knocked on the door of his office.

"Come in."

"Dr. Straverski? It's Simon."

"How are you doing Simon?"

"Good."

He smiled at me, "I'm the chief of staff at this hospital, I know about Theodore. I know you aren't doing good. What do you want?"

"You know me too well. I just want to talk for a few minutes."

He stood up, "What the hell is going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've known you for years and you have never dodged a question in your life. You're always direct. Something is wrong."

I sat down in the small chair across from his desk. "There is something I need."

"Well?"

"You know I left the hospital…"

"Yes I know. And I think I know why."

"I know you do. It's about what we've been discussing for years, ever since Brian…"

"I know. Now what does this have to do with me?"

I sighed, "I need your help. I need a fresh pair of eyes."

"Simon, are you asking me to throw away my morals, and work on a machine that could be used to save millions of lives, but do it for the purpose of only saving one person?"

"Yes."

He smiled, "Okay. But under one condition."

"What is that?"

"You're not an idiot Simon. You know my condition…"


	6. The Bedside Chat

**Chapter 6: The Bedside Chat**

**Jeanette's POV**

I walked into the small room. "Elle?"

She flipped around quickly and ran to the door. "I've missed you Jean. How's everything going?"

"Good. How are you doing?"

"As good as can be expected."

"Is that Jean?" A faint voice asked.

The two of us walked over to his bed, "Yes Theo. Jean's here."

"Is Simon there?"

I grabbed Theodore's hand, "No Theo. He had to see someone else, we didn't know you were awake."

"That's okay. Just tell him I said hello."

"Okay Theodore."

Eleanor walked over to him, "How are you feeling today Theo?"

"Good. Elle, I talk to you every day, I want to talk to Jeanette for a minute. Can you see if you can find Simon?"

Eleanor started to cry. I could tell she wanted to stay, "Sure thing Theo." She ran out of the room.

Theodore smiled, "Jean I need to ask you a favor."

"What is it Theodore?"

"Watch over Elle when I'm gone."

I smiled at him, "You aren't going anywhere."

"I hope not. Jeanette, I know Simon can be impulsive. He's almost as bad as Alvin sometimes. He isn't doing anything stupid, is he?"

I looked at Theodore and lied, "Of course not."

"Good. I wouldn't want him to go and build that time machine."

"Don't worry."

Simon walked in the room with Eleanor. "Theo?"

"Hey Simon. I just wanted to tell you that I love all of you. I just wanted you to know that in case I don't make it out of here. Tell Brian okay?"

We all began to cry. I had no idea that Eleanor still hadn't told him what happened. Simon came over to me and hugged me, but it was little comfort.

Theodore continued to talk, "Why is everybody crying? Brian's okay, right?"

Eleanor walked over to Theodore, "I should have told you Theo. Brian didn't make it."

Theodore turned his head. Tears began to fall down the side of his face. After a second, he turned back towards us, "I'm sorry Simon. I didn't know."

"I know Theo. I know."

Theo fell asleep a few moments later and Eleanor turned to the two of us hugging and crying on each other's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Simon turned his head toward Eleanor while still hanging on to me, "It's okay Elle."

I let go of Simon, "We have to go now Elle. I'll talk to you soon."

The two of us left the room. We weren't upset with Eleanor, but we never really had a chance to grieve for Brian. It was too fresh, and thinking about him only upset us. We just needed to get home. More importantly, we needed to get to work.


	7. The Escape

**Chapter 7: The Escape**

**Brittany's POV**

I was so upset. Alvin locked himself in the bedroom, and I didn't know what to do.

"Alvin!" I kept screaming for two or three minutes, but it was no use, he didn't answer.

Eventually I gave up on trying to get him to answer, it was time to get more serious than just calling his name through a door. After a few minutes of fumbling through drawers, I found the key to the bedroom. When I walked in, I couldn't believe what I saw.

"Damn you." I yelled. "How could you be so stupid?"

I walked over to the sliding door. In our home we had a small balcony outside the window. I peered out the door to see what he did. When I saw it, it was hard to hold back my emotions, I began to laugh.

"I haven't seen something like this since we were kids. You actually tied a rope out of shirts to sneak out of the house. You really haven't grown up." I continued to talk to myself as I pulled the rope in. "Damn it Alvin, where did you go?"

There are some times in life when you are just plain scared. This wasn't one of those times. Scared didn't even get close to what I was feeling. As I pulled the rope in, I noticed something on our front door. At first, it didn't occur to me what it was, then I realized. I quickly dropped the rope and ran to the phone.

I started to shake as I pulled the card from my purse. "Damn it where is that number."

When I found it, I quickly called the number. "This is Agent Westin how can…"

"This is Brittany Seville, there's another package."

"Mrs. Seville, you need to get out of the house now. Get at least two or three blocks from the home and call me again on your cell phone. I'll call local authorities and get down there as soon as I can."

I ran out of the house. As I opened the door, I carefully found a way to climb over the package without disturbing it. Then I ran as far away as I could. After I reached a safe distance, I called him back.

"Okay, I'm safe."

"Good. I've called the police and the bomb squad. I'm on my way now with my team. Don't answer any questions for anybody including the police until I get there, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Is Alvin with you?"

"No."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know."

There was a slight pause. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"If it wasn't the truth, I wouldn't say it. I know how ridiculous this sounds, but Alvin ran away from home."

"How long did he leave before the package was found?"

"Maybe a few minutes."

"Mrs. Seville, you do realize that there is a chance he was kidnapped?"

The thought hadn't occurred to me.

"Mrs. Seville, if he was taken, our team will find him."


	8. The Patient

**Chapter 8: The Patient**

**Simon's POV**

We walked out of Theodore's room.

"Are you okay Jean?"

"I'm never going to be okay." She continued to cry, "Not as long as Brian is gone."

"We need to get back to work. I'm going to see if Dr. Straverski is ready to go."

"He agreed?"

I sighed, "Yes."

"You don't seem happy."

I put on a fake smile, "It's nothing Jean. Let's just go to his office."

As I started to walk she leaned against me and smiled, "I know what he made you agree to Simon. I knew he would too."

"Yeah I know."

"I'm glad he made you agree."

I stopped and turned to her, "You are?"

"Absolutely."

"I was worried about what you'd think."

She smiled at me. "Well then I guess now you know what I think. What I've always really thought about it. Come on, let's go get him."

As we walked to his office we quickly turned around as we heard shouting. "I need a doctor!"

Noticing no other doctor was around, Jeanette shook her head and I walked over to the patient. "I'm a trauma surgeon. What is it?"

I ran towards the paramedic. "He was slumped over on a park bench, possible OD. His vitals are all off."

Two nurses came over. Get him to OR Three. As the nurses pulled him away I ran alongside. As we passed Jeanette, I looked over at her. I held out my hand and grabbed her. "It's Alvin."

I wasn't sure how much I could do for Alvin. We barely got him to the operating room when he went into cardiac arrest.

I began to perform CPR. A few minutes later, he had an irregular heartbeat. "Get me a defibrillator !" They came over with the equipment, and I began the procedure. "Clear!" After a few attempts he still wasn't responding. "Damn it Alvin, you aren't going to die. Clear!"

"No response doctor."

"Listen Alvin, if anything is going to kill you, it's going to be me. Clear!"

"It's regulating."

"Good."

After he was stabilized, and we cleared the drugs from his system, Dr. Straverski walked into the room. "Simon? How is he?"

"He'll make it." I turned to the nurse and the orderly in the room. "Get this jackass to a bed and tie him down until I get there."

"Yes doctor."

Dr. Straverski smiled, "You know, your family comes in here a little too often."

"I know."

"So does this mean you're coming back to the hospital?"

"No. It means I can't visit my dying brother in the hospital without having to save my stupid jackass of a brother. This is the second time I've visited Theodore since it happened, and the second time I've had to operate on Alvin."

"Well are you going back to the lab?"

"Not yet. I want to wait for a little bit until he's awake. I have a few things to tell him."

As I walked towards Alvin's room Dr. Straverski came with me. "You know Simon, it's against hospital policy to threaten a patient's life when you're trying to save them."

I smiled, "Tough. If they don't like my bedside manner, they can find a new surgeon."


	9. The Recovery

**Chapter 9: The Recovery**

**Alvin's POV**

My eyes slowly opened. I didn't feel any pain. It was so peaceful. I smiled, "I think I'm in heaven."

"Guess again, jackass."

"Simon?"

"Yes?"

"Are you dead too?"

I heard laughing, "You really are clueless aren't you. You lived."

I tilted my head up and saw that I was in a hospital bed. I quickly smashed my head back onto the bed. "Damn it."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like you care."

"I'm your doctor… and your brother. I do care."

I smiled, "Thank you Si. But you don't have to forgive me."

"Don't you want me to forgive you?" he asked.

I looked at him, "Not really."

"Well that's even more reason to forgive you."

I laughed and went to grab his hand. "Why can't I move my arm?"

"Restraints. Remember, the suicide attempt?"

"Oh right… hospital policy." I pulled at my arm, "Can you take them off."

"Nope."

"But last time…"

I heard a cold snickering coming from Simon, "Last time you didn't actually try to kill yourself. This time you did. Plus I'm still upset with you."

"How long will they be on?" I didn't hear a response. "Simon? How long?"

"Hospital policy says four hours."

"That's not too bad."

I saw a grin grow on his face, "Luckily, I don't work here anymore." He looked at his watch. "Well I'm going home now."

"You're just going to leave me like this?"

"Nope. I'm not leaving you alone." A man walked in, "This is the hospital psychologist. He's going to be spending some time with you while I am gone."

"Simon?"

An evil grin stretched across his face and he walked away.

"Simon? Please!"

"Mr. Seville, I understand you were adopted. Why don't you tell me about your childhood?"

I smashed my head against the pillow. "I'll get you for this Simon."


	10. The Desperation

**Chapter 10: The Desperation**

**Simon's POV**

The three of us sat in the laboratory, hunched over the machine. "I just don't know what's wrong with it. It seems like it should work."

Dr. Straverski looked closely at the machine, "You know Simon, this is a big project, you might not be successful this time." He turned he head to me and Jeanette, "I know how much you want this to work, but this isn't exactly related to infantile medicine, I'm not sure how much I can do."

I sighed with frustration, "I know. I just want a fresh pair of eyes."

Dr. Straverski nodded his head in understanding, and began to look at the machine.

Jeanette leaned back in her chair, "I can't stare at this stupid machine for another second. I'm going to get us something to eat."

I looked towards her, "Okay Jean, sounds good." She started to walk away, "Just don't hurt yourself."

She turned around and smiled, "Ha ha Simon. I can handle making us some sandwiches."

She walked towards the kitchen. "Can you see anything that could be causing the problem?"

"No. I just can't figure it out. You're right, it should work. You're positive nothing is wrong with the design?"

"I don't think so. Unless…"

"What?"

I pulled out the hand drawn schematics and stared at the design. "Jean! Come down here!"

She walked into the room carrying some sandwiches, "What is it?"

"Look at this. Could this be the problem?"

She stared down at the chart, "The power source? I don't see how…"

I pulled out a pencil and made some quick alterations to the design. "What do you think?"

"Is it possible?"

I turned to her, "Why not?"

She smiled, "It's worth a try. It's better than staring at this stupid thing all day."

I leaned over to Dr. Straverski, "Doctor, what do you think about this?"

"You can't pull that off. Not in time."

"Why not? I designed the time machine in a week and built it in another week. Why can't I do this in time?"

He smiled, "If this works…"

"I know."

"Let's give it a try."

"Jean, go shopping, we're going to need some more supplies."

She kissed me on the cheek, "I think we might pull this one off."

"We might yet Jean. We might just save him yet."


	11. The Call from the Agent

**Chapter 11: The Call from the Agent**

**Jeanette's POV**

After Simon came up with the new design, we immediately began to go to work. We never really did figure out what was wrong with the old design, but with the changes to the power source, we were certain that the new design would work. That was assuming of course that we could pull of the changes.

As we continued to work the phone rang. At first we all ignored it, consumed by our work. Eventually the noise got to all of us. I stood up, "I'll get it."

Simon didn't lift his head from his work. "Good."

I walked to the phone and lifted the receiver to my ear. "Hello?"

"Mr. Seville?"

"No this is Jeanette, can I help you?"

"Hello, this is Agent Westin from the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

I became concerned, "What is it?"

"You sound concerned?"

I cleared my throat, "Well you don't exactly call with good news."

"Who is it?" Simon asked.

I pulled the phone away from my mouth, "It's Agent Westin."

Simon became concerned as well.

I went back to my conversation, "What do you need?"

"Brittany received another package."

"Is she okay?"

"What?" Simon asked.

I waved my hand in the air to indicate to wait until I was off.

"She's fine. It wasn't a bomb."

"Then what was it?"

"I need to ask you some questions. When is the last time you saw Alvin Seville?"

"Just a few hours ago. He's in the hospital."

"He is?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what's wrong with him?"

I hesitated to answer, "It's not related to this."

"Mrs. Seville, if you have any information…"

"It was a suicide attempt."

"I see."

"So what was in the package?"

"Then I have another question for you Mrs. Seville."

I became frustrated, "What is it?"

"When is the last time you have spoken to David Seville?"

"Why?"

"Please answer."

"A few days, maybe longer."

"We haven't been able to locate him. The package said that one of your family members was taken. I'm afraid that David Seville has been kidnapped."

I was shocked. I couldn't believe that Dave had been taken a second time. "Well what do we do?"

"I can't discuss specifics over the phone, but we are taking care of the situation. Believe me when I say that we will have him back to you soon."

"But…"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Seville, but I can't divulge any more information over the phone at this time. Goodbye.

"Goodbye…" I hung up the phone and walked to Simon.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Simon…"

"What?"

"It's Dave."

Simon stopped working and stood up, "Is he okay?"

"I don't know."

He flipped over a chair, "What does that mean? Where is he?"

I walked over to Simon and hugged him. "Simon, Brittany got another package. It looks like they kidnapped Dave again."

He started to cry on my shoulder, "Are they going to get him back?"

"They seem to think they will. They seem confident that they will. I don't know what they're planning, but it seemed like they knew where he was."

Simon kissed me on the cheek as he lifted his head from my shoulder, "God, I hope you're right Jean. I really do."

"It's going to be okay Simon."

"No it won't. Not until I know he's safe. Not until I can stand in front of him. Nothing is okay until I can hug my dad again."

I shook my head in understanding, knowing what it felt like when I thought Ms. Miller was gone. "We have a lot of work to do, why don't we keep on going."

"Okay." Simon fixed his chair and bend down to the machine.

We all got back to work, but the attitude changed. It was even worse than before. We had two lives on the line now.


	12. The Time

**Chapter 12: The Time**

**Simon's POV**

I hung up the phone. "Damn it, hurry!" I screamed.

We fumbled around our makeshift laboratory trying to finish the machine.

Dr. Straverski looked up for a brief moment, "How much time?"

"Two hours tops."

"Damn. We'll never…"

I turned to him, "If you're going to have that attitude, get the hell out."

"I'm sorry."

We all got back to work. It wasn't like me to swear at my old friend, but this was a desperate time. We had to finish building quickly.

As the minutes rolled by, we finally finished.

"Simon, we don't even know if it works."

"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters. It's the only chance we have."

Jeanette put her hand on my shoulder, "Are you ready to test it?"

"We don't have time to test it."

"Make time. I'm not going to do this without making sure it works."

I took a deep breath and walked towards the machine. I hooked everything up for the test, and closed my eyes, praying that the problem would be solved. "Jeanette you do it."

I walked away and she approached the machine. She turned it on. "Thank God. It works."

Dr. Straverski smiled, "I have to give you two credit. I didn't think we'd do it."

I smiled at my old friend, "We're not a group to give up."

I proceeded to unhook the machine from the testing equipment, and carefully get it ready to be moved.

As I finished getting everything ready, I looked up at Jeanette. "I guess it's time to go."

"Yes it is. Let's go to the hospital."

The three of us loaded into the car with the machine, and drove off.

"Jeanette, you know we won't have a lot of time to explain this to Eleanor. I have to get ready, so you're going to have to convince her."

"She'll agree. She loves him too much."

As we pulled up to the hospital Jeanette ran to Theodore's room, while Dr. Straverski and I went into the hospital with the machine.

"Dr. Straverski, you can't assist me with this. If anything goes wrong, and it doesn't work, I could go to prison for this. You can't be involved."

"It will work Simon. Besides, I helped build it. This is my machine too."

I smiled and we both went with the machine inside.

A hospital administrator approached us. "What's that?"

I started to answer, but Dr. Straverski interrupted, "It's none of your damn business."

The administrator backed off and I looked up at my old friend. "You have more power here than I thought."

"These administrators don't screw with an old man. Especially not one that can fire their kids from the residency program at the hospital."

I smiled, "I'm glad you're on my side."

We gathered a few nurses that we could trust, and went into a small room. I walked to the front of the room. "Excuse me."

They all looked up.

"We are going to be conducting an experiment in the hospital. It's immoral, it hasn't been tested, and it may kill a patient, my brother. But, it's the only chance he has at surviving, so we're going to do it. I need some help for this to work. Will you three help me?"

They shook their heads and I walked to the machine.

Immediately one of the nurses stood up, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes." Dr. Straverski answered.

She shook her head, "I've heard about your theory on it but…"

"I know."

She walked out of the room. "I won't be involved in this."

The other two looked at the device.

"Will you two help us?"

They both shook their heads.

I took a deep breath. "Good. Let's get ready."


	13. The Experiment

**Chapter 13: The Experiment**

**Simon's POV**

We stood next to each other staring at the device.

I was broken out of my trance by Dr. Straverski, "Are you ready Simon?"

"Of course."

The two nurses came in.

One of them spoke up, "I have to say that it is an honor to help you with this. No matter what many people may say about your methods, it is an amazing invention."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, Theodore was brought into the room. Eleanor stood outside, and I poked my head out the door to quickly talk to her. "Elle, you understand what we're doing, right?"

"I know."

"You understand the risk?"

"Yes. I don't care. It's his only chance."

"I wish I had as much faith as everybody else seems to have."

"I trust you Simon, and your invention. I know that it will work."

I shook my head and walked back into the room. "Dr. Straverski will begin with the removal of the damaged organ. When it is removed, we will have approximately two minutes to install the artificial heart. If anything goes wrong during the procedure, the three of you are to immediately leave this room and call security. Tell them that I locked the door to the OR and did the procedure myself."

"We won't do that." One of the nurses said.

"Then I will do the procedure myself. I will not put your careers on the line for this."

Dr. Straverski shook his head. "I understand. Let's proceed."

Several minutes went by. "Simon, are you ready?"

"Yes."

The nurse held the artificial heart in her hand, waiting for Dr. Straverski.

"Okay. Removing the heart." They pulled the organ out of his chest, and set it down. "Okay Simon. It's up to you."

We quickly stood over Theodore with the machine. It was a complex procedure, and we had such little time to do it in. "Time!" I yelled.

"Twenty seconds."

"Damn." I fumbled around in his chest quickly trying to finish. "Close now!"

The nurse tied off the connection. I quickly activated the machine. The machine turned on, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "What was the time?"

The nurse shuttered, "Two minutes and twelve seconds."

I pulled away from my brother and sat down. I flipped over a table of supplies. "Son of a bitch. I was so close."

Dr. Straverski sat next to me. "You did the best you could. There just wasn't time. Nobody could have done that."

"That's the point. I was so damn ignorant that I couldn't see there wasn't time."

"It's time to go."

The two of us walked out of the operating room. I looked at Eleanor and walked towards her.

"Simon? What happened?"

I kissed her forehead, "Twelve seconds over."

She started to cry, "Couldn't…"

"I don't see how Elle. I just don't see how."


	14. The Victim

**Chapter 14: The Victim**

**Eleanor's POV**

I stood by him after the surgery. I knew there wasn't hope, I knew he wouldn't wake up, but I had to believe he could.

"Eleanor?"

I cried by his bed, "What is it Simon?"

"I just wanted to apologize for…"

"There's no need. You did your best. He wouldn't have lived the night anyway. This was his best chance."

"No it wasn't. His best chance was the time machine, but we couldn't do that. You do understand why, right?"

"Of course I…"

"Jeanette told me."

"I asked her not to."

"I know, but she ignored you. I'm her husband; I get to know these things. If it makes you feel any better, she told me not to tell you that she told me that you told her not to tell me."

I laughed, "That's Jean for you."

"Anyway, I know that you thought we were building the time machine, and I don't blame you. We were acting mysterious."

"I shouldn't have thought that about you."

He put his hand on my shoulder, "Elle, I was going to build it. This design for the heart was something I made when I was a teenager. I wanted to design an artificial heart that didn't rely on a computer for movement. She was the one that reminded me of the design. She was the one that inspired me to try this instead."

"Aren't there already artificial hearts?"

"Yeah, but they're different. This one was meant to work more like an actual heart. We even made it without a power source; it just works like an actual heart. The hope was that it would last just as long as a real heart instead of just a few years."

"Would it?"

"I don't know. I'll never know."

"You can do it again."

He shook his head, "No I can't. We altered the design, for chipmunks. It won't work in a human. I could have designed it for a human, but I chose not to. I chose to save Theodore."

"But you can build a new one for humans…"

"No. I lost my medical license. You can't just test something like this on a patient. I'm not a doctor anymore. They won't let me build another one. They won't let me run any more tests on this device. It's over. Thousands of people die every year waiting for a transplant. I could have saved them, but I chose not to."

"I'm so sorry Simon. Why didn't you tell me how much was on the line?"

"Because you wouldn't have let me do it."

"Do what?"

We turned to the bed.

"Elle, what wouldn't you let Simon do?"

Simon started to cry. "Oh my God."

"What?" Theodore asked.

I grabbed Theodore's hand. "Theo, you aren't supposed to be alive."

"Well I'm sorry."

"That wasn't a complaint."

Theodore sat up, "How come I have so much energy all of the sudden?"

Simon smiled at his brother, "Because you have a heart. A working heart."

I added to Simon's statement, "And nobody had to die for it, Theo."

"How?"

I smiled at Simon, "Simon built an artificial heart."

"Why did you say I was supposed to be dead?"

Simon stood up, "It doesn't matter now. You went longer than we wanted without a heart. We thought you would be brain dead, but you aren't. I'm going to go tell the others." Simon started to walk out of the room, but I followed him.

"Simon?"

"What Elle?"

"Are you going to be able to get your license back now?"

"I doubt it. I still shouldn't have tested it like that. It should have gone through years of testing before actually being used. I can appeal, but I doubt it."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay Elle. It was worth it. Now let's go tell Jean."

We walked into the waiting room and saw them. Jeanette and Dr. Straverski were both slouched over in chairs asleep.

"Should we wake them up?" Simon asked.

"JEAN!" I yelled. The two of them jolted awake.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"What is it?" Jeanette asked.

"He's awake."

"Theodore?"

"Yes."

Dr. Straverski stood up, "But Simon, he went…"

Simon interrupted, "I don't care how it happened. All I know is that Theodore is going to live. For once, we get to leave here happy. Nobody is going to die today. Not anybody in my fam…"

It was as if fate could hear what Simon was saying and wanted to prove him wrong. Just as he began to finish his sentence, he saw the worst site he could imagine. Dave was being wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher. Even worse for Simon, was that he couldn't help. He was the best trauma surgeon in the hospital, but he didn't have a license. He couldn't try to save his own father.


	15. The Other Side

**Chapter 15: The Other Side**

**Simon's POV**

It had been a while since I was on this side of the situation. Usually, I was the one in the operating room, and I was the one that had to come out and tell the family what happened. I couldn't do that, but I had to do something.

"Dr. Straverski?"

He sighed and turned around, "Simon, you can't do the surgery."

"But…"

"Simon, you were the one who had me put you on a suspension."

"Who's doing the surgery?"

He turned around and looked at me, "Dr. Edwards."

I walked over to him, "He's hardly out of med school?"

"He's the surgeon on call."

I turned my head, "Can I assist?"

"Simon…"

"Damn it let me assist on the surgery. He's my father."

He paused for a moment and shook his head, "Simon, if you ever do that again, I'll call the police."

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Punch me and go into the operating room while your license is under suspension."

"Thank you."

"Just go."

I walked past him and went into the operating room to scrub up before the surgery.

"Dr. Seville?" he asked. "I thought I was doing this surgery?"

I sighed, "You are. I'm assisting."

"But your license…"

"He's my father."

Dr. Edwards shook his head, "Don't be afraid to take over if you see something."

"Don't worry, I will." Normally I wasn't so blunt with a new resident, but this wasn't a normal patient. It was Dave, and I couldn't let anything go wrong.

I realized how bad the situation was when we started the surgery.

Dr. Edwards looked at Dave, "Two gunshot wounds to the back, one in the shoulder and one to the neck. It also looks like we have some blunt force injuries to the chest and left leg. Should we start with the neck?"

"Check the shoulder wound for damage to the brachial artery first, the neck wound doesn't look like it's bleeding as badly. You want to stop the bleeding first."

"Of course. Thank you." We continued with the surgery. "Okay Dr. Seville, I'm closing the neck wound. Onto the chest injuries?"

"Correct."

He went to the chest wound. There was a lot of damage to his chest, it looked like he had been badly beaten. Even though he was just a young resident, I had to admit that Dr. Edwards performed the surgery masterfully.

As the surgery came to an end, he pulled away from Dave. "I think that's everything."

"You're right. You did an amazing job. I didn't even need to be here."

"Thank you. I guess that's it then."

I shook my head, "Yeah. It's all up to him now."

I walked out of the operating room and went into Theodore's room where Jeanette and Eleanor were waiting for news.

Jeanette stood up, "How is he?"

"He had a lot of injuries, but I think he'll pull through. Have you talked to Alvin and Brittany?"

"I told Brittany what happened, but I haven't really talked to her."

"Where is she?"

"She's in Alvin's room."

"She knows?"

"I told her."

I sighed, "Well we're better off just leaving them alone. They have a lot to talk about."


	16. The Talk

**Chapter 16: The Talk**

**Brittany's POV**

"How could you?"

Alvin bent up in his bed. "Britt…"

"You promised that you wouldn't try something like this again."

"But…"

"No. I don't want to hear it."

"I'm…"

"I don't want your apologies. I want you to stop this stupid destructive behavior."

"I…"

"Just stop it."

He smiled, "Brittany?"

"What?"

"You're not letting me talk."

I sighed, "What is it?"

"I just wanted to say that you're right. It was stupid."

"I'm glad you realize it, but it doesn't change that this is the second time you've done something like this. How can I believe you won't do it again?"

"I don't know what to say. I just can't stand the thought that someone else could get hurt from my mistakes. I just don't want to hurt anybody else."

I was silent.

"What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

"It's Dave."

"What about him?"

"He was kidnapped."

Alvin started to stand, "Well we need to get him out."

"Alvin…"

"What?"

"The FBI did try and get him out."

"What do you mean, try?"

"When they got to the place he was being held, the kidnapper got upset."

"What happened?"

"He went outside holding Dave. Dave had been beaten badly."

"Is he okay?"

"After the agents called to him, and told him to release Dave he…"

"What?"

"He shot him… twice."

"Is he alive?"

"He's in surgery. He's not in good shape."

Alvin turned his head, "I can't believe this is happening again." He started to cry, "What happened to the kidnapper."

"He's dead."

"At least it's all over. No more packages."

I shook my head. A few moments later Simon walked in the door. "How's Dave?"

"He's out of surgery. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll be fine."

I strange voice came from the background. "David? Where are you David?"

I smiled "Is that who I think it is?"

"Yup. Ms. Miller just came flew up here when she found out Dave was in the hospital."

I shook my head, "Really? She just jumped on a plane?"

"Yup."

Ms. Miller walked in the room, "Why hello Brittany. Simon, where is David?"

"I told you Ms. Miller, he's in room 419. Go to the receptionist desk they'll show you the way."

"Okay Simon." She walked towards the receptionist desk and I could still hear her, "I'm looking for room 417."

Simon turned and yelled towards the desk, "419!"

"That's what I said 419."

Simon shook his head, "God this family is strange."


	17. The Comfort

**Chapter 17: The Comfort**

**Eleanor's POV**

"How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm fine."

I sat next to her, "No you aren't. What's wrong?"

She smiled at me, "You probably don't know this but…"

"What is it?"

"I always cared for David." She scooted next to him, "I always had a thing for him."

I smiled, "Ms. Miller, I think everybody on the block knew that."

She blushed, "He didn't."

"He'll be okay. Simon said he's doing really well."

"I hope so dear. When that man took us before, I was so worried something might happen to him."

"And I know he was worried about you too."

She smiled, "You think so?"

"I know it, Ms. Miller."

Simon walked in the room. "How's Dave doing?"

I turned to him, "You're the doctor. Aren't you supposed to tell us?"

He sat down next to Dave. "I don't know what's going on. I'm completely cut off right now from the hospital. I can't even pull up Dave's medical files."

"I'm sorry Simon. I know it's frustrating."

"I know Elle. It's okay. How's Theo?"

"He's doing great. I think he's going to pull through."

Simon grabbed my hand, "I'm so happy to hear that. I'm going to see if I can find Dr. Edwards. Maybe he can tell me how Dave's do…"

A sharp beep came from across the hall. "That's Theo's room!"

Simon burst out of Dave's room and went across the hall. "Damn, something's wrong with the heart." He ran to the hall, "Nurse! I have to operate now! Quick!" A nurse flew into the room with supplies. "Damn we don't have time to get him to the OR. He's rejecting it."

Simon flipped on gloves and started an emergency surgery right in the middle of Theo's room. "Scalpel."

Then I turned around, another sharp beep coming from Dave's monitor. Ms. Miller stepped away from Dave in fear.

A doctor ran in and ripped open Dave's shirt. "I need a defibrillator!"

I couldn't believe it. Dave and Theodore could both die at a moment's notice.

From one side of the hall I heard screaming, "Clear!"

"No response."

"Damn."

I turned around to the other room, "Shit, I can't see anything. Suction."

Jeanette and Ms. Miller each came out in the hall with me and we all hugged. At the exact same time, we heard two voices.

From one side of the hall we heard, "There. He has a steady pulse."

From the other side of the hall we heard, "It's over. Time of death, six twenty three."

The three of us pulled our heads up, and saw the sheet being pulled over his head. It was over.


	18. The End

**Chapter 18: The End**

**Alvin's POV**

I heard a bunch of commotion outside my room. Obviously it concerned me since about half the people in my hall were members of my family.

"Brittany, why don't you see what's going on."

"It's none of our business."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh yeah, like you're not nosey all of the sudd…"

I stopped as I saw the door open. It was Simon.

"What happened?" I asked. I knew if he was in here, that yelling outside had something to do with my family.

"Theodore's artificial heart failed."

"Is he okay?"

Simon sat down, "You have to understand that by the time we got it working, he had gone without blood-flow for over three minutes."

I clenched my hand over my mouth, "He's dead?"

Simon cleared his throat, "Alvin… Theo might be brain dead."

"Might?"

"I don't know yet, but…"

"But what?"

"It's Dave."

I sat up in my bed, "What? What happened to Dave?"

"He went into cardiac arrest, around the same time Theo did."

I started to cry, "Simon? Where's Dave?"

"Alvin… he's gone."

"No. He can't be."

"Alvin, there was nothing…"

"Don't. I've heard that line too many times. What the hell happened?"

"Life."

"I can't believe that bastard shot Dave. How could this happen."

"It wasn't the gunshot that killed Dave. They beat in half his chest. He had too much damage to his vital organs."

I started to cry, "What are we gonna do without Dave?"

"I don't know, Alvin. I really don't know what to do now."

Brittany put her arms around me, "I'm so sorry Alvin. Is there anything I can do for you? Either of you?"

I looked at her, "No. Nothing is going to make this better."

"The funeral is going to be this weekend." Simon told me, "Before he died…"

"What?"

"He asked me to have the six of us talk at the funeral together."

"I'm not going."

"But Alvin…" I cut Brittany off.

"No Britt. I'm not going to the funeral. I did this to him. This guy wouldn't have been after any of us if it wasn't for me. I'm to blame for this."

"Guess again Alvin." Simon came closer, "Did you ever wonder why he was so hell-bent on getting that machine?"

"It was to sell to the…"

"Exactly. He did this all to get the machine. And he kept on doing it because I lied. You coming out with the truth was stupid, it was impulsive, but it was hardly the cause of all of this. We all had blame."

I stood up, "No Simon. We've gone over this. I should've seen this coming." I stormed out of the room, "I will not go to that funeral. I won't be at the funeral for the man that I killed."


	19. The New Beginning

**Chapter 19: The New Beginning**

**Brittany's POV**

I walked back to the microphone, "That's the story of our family. I know it's an unusual story to tell, but it's the story that Dave wanted us to tell you today. He asked us not to spend today reminding you of his death, but instead, he wanted us to remind you of Theodore's life."

Eleanor walked to the microphone, "Because of this family, Theodore will live. He's not brain dead, he's not sick. Simon, Jeanette, and Dr. Straverski's invention saved his life. He's going to be with us for a long time because of this family."

Jeanette approached, "And while we lost a dear member of our family this week, we realized that our family bonds cannot ever be broken. We moved past the bickering, and the fighting, and we are a family once again."

I turned to Alvin and signaled him to approach. "There's another reason we told you this story. Twice in our lives, we've had someone try and break this family apart. To each of those men, we've lost close family members. Children, nieces, nephews, and now parents. We've told you this story to ensure the world of one thing. This family will not fall. We may get angry, but we will always stand together."

Simon walked up to the microphone, "But more importantly, I want the world to know, that no matter what you do to this family, no matter how many of us you kill, you will never have that machine. The time machine will not be built. Not to save my father, not to save my son, not for any reason. I hope that now, this is damn clear to the world."

I approached the microphone again, "I'd like to thank all of you for listening to this story. Thank you for coming here to celebrate our father's life."

The five of us walked away from the podium together.

I walked up to my mother, who was crying in the background. "Are you okay Ms. Miller?"

"No dear. I'm not. I never told him that I loved him."

"He knew."

"I just wish he would have felt the same about me."

"Ms. Miller, I can't tell you how Dave felt, but what I can tell you, is that he trusted you. He trusted you with the chipmunks all the time. When we needed a home, he trusted you to be a good mother to us. He may not have been in love with you, but I know he cared about you."

"Thank you Brittany."

"We're all going to miss him. I just wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

"I can't help but wonder what else is going to happen to this family. I know it isn't over. It never will be. So I just have to ask myself. What's going to happen next?"

"Maybe this is a new beginning?"

"That's just it Ms. Miller. I don't think it's a new beginning, I think it's the beginning of the end. I feel like things are only going to get worse."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh no! Dave? What happened? Well I hope you enjoyed that story, no matter how sad the ending was… Please leave a review. Reviews mean so much to me it's unbelievable. Just a few words can make my day! (I live a simple life…) Also, please do me a big favor and check out the AATC Archive. Start a thread there or leave a post, and help me to build this forum into a place where we can form a community.**

**By the way, I have a poll up on my profile to find out which of my two long stories people are enjoying more. Please take a minute to go answer that if you want! Thanks!**


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